Teenagers speak of terror crash ordeal (From The Northern Echo)
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Teenagers speak of terror crash ordeal
8:00am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE: The badly damaged car which dragged three teenagers 40 metres after the driver lost control in wintry conditions. The car hit two other vehicles before slamming into a fence and wall in Eldon Bank, near Bishop Auckland
A GROUP of teenagers left seriously injured after being dragged more than 40 metres along an icy road by an out-ofcontrol car last night spoke of their ordeal.
Steven Williams and Thomas Sumpton, both 18, and Steven Marley, 19, were walking home along a footpath in heavy snow when they were hit by the blue Ford Fiesta.
The Northern Echo reported yesterday how the 34-yearold female driver lost control on the steep bank in the wintry conditions and hit the teenagers in Eldon Bank, in the village of Eldon, near Bishop Auckland, at about 5.30pm on Saturday.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Williams described blacking out and coming to more than 40 metres farther along the road.
He said: “We were walking home and we heard the wheels spinning on a car that was parked across the road.
“We looked around and all I can remember is seeing the windscreen coming towards me.
“When I came round, I was a good seven or eight houses farther down. I could not move as I knew my leg was broken, but I looked around for my friends.”
Mr Sumpton, who was sent over the roof of the car, said: “I was knocked unconscious as soon as the car hit us, so I cannot remember much. It all happened so quickly. When I came round, I shouted for the others. It was so scary, I think we are all still in shock.
“We cannot thank everyone who came to help us enough.”
The pair suffered broken legs and have been in Darlington Memorial Hospital since the accident. They both face operations over the next few days.
Mr Marley, who was the most seriously hurt, has been transferred to Sunderland Royal Hospital with injuries to his pelvis, hip and leg.
Mr Williams said: “He has a lot of injuries, including a smashed pelvis. We think he hit a fence. We just want to say get well soon to Steven, we’ll see you soon.
“We have no hard feelings to the driver. Accidents happen.”
Police said the teenagers managed to get clear moments before the Ford Fiesta crashed into a parked Vauxhall Insignia, which in turn smashed into a Peugeot 807 parked next to it.
The Fiesta carried on until it hit a metal fence and the garden wall of a house in Eldon Bank.
Officers said road conditions were extremely icy as a result of heavy snow.
Witnesses have been asked to call Durham Police on 0191- 375-2159.
Comments(8)
Co.DurhamLass
says...
8:39am Wed 8 Feb 12
samtranz1
says...
9:39am Wed 8 Feb 12
entitled opinion
says...
12:01pm Wed 8 Feb 12
chrisby33 wrote:Yet another arm chair detective at work. How do you know the circumstances of what happened other than what you have read? The roads should be gritted. Thats what we pay for and I for one am fed up of seeing accidents that could have been avoided if the roads had been gritted. You refer to the stopping distances at 30mph in dry conditions which are completely irrelevant here because it was in icy conditions. The stopping distances are also calculated on a flat road surface when this was on a steep bank so that again would affect the calculation. Anything on sheer ice on a hill would slide some considerable distance especially something with so much weight behind it.
samtranz1 wrote:its all very well demanding gritters on every road and street, but drivers have to take responiblity as well... you cannot drive round at normal speeds in bad conditions. i have no doubt this accident could of been avoided if the driver was going slower and paying full attention.
Get well soon boys, where were the salt gritters, once again cutbacks bringing tragedy to our streets
my claim is backed up by the fact the car continued 40+ meters not even stopping when it hit a parked car!
(40+ meters is twice the stopping distance required from doing 30mph in dry conditions)
Leave the investigating to the professionals and stop making comments about a drivers speed and claiming they were not concentrating when you do not know the full details of what happened.
samtranz1
says...
12:39pm Wed 8 Feb 12
samtranz1
says...
12:59pm Wed 8 Feb 12
samtranz1 wrote:well said, the road in question is very steep and its called eldon bank for that good reason...thats should be a priority for the highways agency to keep clean from ice and snow, wheres our taxes going..keep the roads in a safe condition
well said, the road in question is very steep and its called eldon for that good reason...thats should be a priority for the highways agency to keep clean from ice and snow, wheres our taxes going..keep the roads in a safe condition
n12345
says...
9:47pm Wed 8 Feb 12
samtranz1 wrote:I was travelling home from work in bishop auckland at about the time of the accident and it absolutely ridiculous to expect the roads to be clear, stop moaning about where taxes are going, there were severe weather conditions the road would have been recovered with snow by the time they had finished clearing it, grit would have made no difference at all the amount of snow that was falling it would have been covered after a few minutes.
samtranz1 wrote: well said, the road in question is very steep and its called eldon for that good reason...thats should be a priority for the highways agency to keep clean from ice and snow, wheres our taxes going..keep the roads in a safe conditionwell said, the road in question is very steep and its called eldon bank for that good reason...thats should be a priority for the highways agency to keep clean from ice and snow, wheres our taxes going..keep the roads in a safe condition
Well done to the lads involved who have said that they dont blame the driver it was an accident accidents happen.
About time people realised this and we get away from this blame and claim culture!!!
Sick As A Pig
says...
3:12pm Fri 10 Feb 12
entitled opinion wrote:So who's the professionals you refer to ?
chrisby33 wrote:Yet another arm chair detective at work. How do you know the circumstances of what happened other than what you have read? The roads should be gritted. Thats what we pay for and I for one am fed up of seeing accidents that could have been avoided if the roads had been gritted. You refer to the stopping distances at 30mph in dry conditions which are completely irrelevant here because it was in icy conditions. The stopping distances are also calculated on a flat road surface when this was on a steep bank so that again would affect the calculation. Anything on sheer ice on a hill would slide some considerable distance especially something with so much weight behind it.
samtranz1 wrote:its all very well demanding gritters on every road and street, but drivers have to take responiblity as well... you cannot drive round at normal speeds in bad conditions. i have no doubt this accident could of been avoided if the driver was going slower and paying full attention.
Get well soon boys, where were the salt gritters, once again cutbacks bringing tragedy to our streets
my claim is backed up by the fact the car continued 40+ meters not even stopping when it hit a parked car!
(40+ meters is twice the stopping distance required from doing 30mph in dry conditions)
Leave the investigating to the professionals and stop making comments about a drivers speed and claiming they were not concentrating when you do not know the full details of what happened.
Butafly says...
8:18am Wed 8 Feb 12